LG G Pad 8.3 first Google Play Edition tablet

Emory Kale, 10th December 2013

This is, apparently, Google’s first Android Open Source Project (AOSP) tablet and will feature Android 4.4, KitKat. The LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition will be available for purchase starting today in the United States on Google Play.

“LG’s working relationship with Google has always been strong and our collaboration on the first-ever Google Play Edition tablet is proof of that commitment,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

The LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition will be available in glossy Indigo Black for USD 349.99. Availability in other countries has not yet been determined at this time.

Key Specifications:

•Processor: 1.7GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 600 Processor

•Operating System: Android 4.4, KitKat

•Display: 8.3-inch Full HD IPS WUXGA (1920 x 1200 pixels / 273 ppi)

•Memory: 16GB eMMC

•RAM: 2GB LPDDR2

•Camera: Rear 5.0MP / Front 1.3MP

•Battery: 4,600mAh

•Connectivity: Wi-Fi

•Size: 216.8 x 126.5 x 8.3mm

•Weight: 338g

•Colors: Indigo Black

Sony's not getting left behind in Google Play, they have the Xperia Z Ultra available for $649 in the US. It's more a giant smartphone with its 6.4-inch 1080p display and 2.2 GHz MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 CPU. And then we have the Nexus 7 from Google.

So, you have a range of six and a half to eight and a half inch phablets, with these three vendors alone, and a range of pricing that is disproportionate to the feature sets.

I mean, you get 40% more display with this LG G Pad versus the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, but it's 40% less in price.

You can debate the nuances of the feature sets (does the camera really matter that much in terms of the value it brings on this type device) but, Android device pricing and form factors are designed to ferment fanboy rage. And, by the way, I don't think you ought to pay $300 extra to phone service on your device versus WiFi only.